Mutants of Twilight: A West Coast Christmas!
by L1701E
Summary: One-Shot, set after RogueFanKC's "Kingdom Hearts: Mutants of Twilight". The West Coast Misfits prepare for their first Christmas after the Gathering has ended.


**Mutants of Twilight: A West Coast Christmas!**

 **Disclaimer: All characters belong to their rightful owners. This is purely for fun.**

 **Author's Note: This is set in RogueFanKC's MoT-Verse after the events of my story "Dazzled in Dallas", and RogueFanKC's "Kingdom Hearts: Mutants of Twilight". This is the first Christmas for the team after the Gathering of Twilight.**

 **West Coast Misfit Manor, Malibu, CA.**

In the kitchen of the red-brick manor, a teenage girl was singing happily while putting together some ingredients for some backing she was about to do.

"That's how it's done on Christmas Vacation!" The girl sang along to a stereo playing Mavis Staples' "Christmas Vacation." The girl was a rosy-cheeked bombshell, her blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail. Her eyes were the color of sapphires, and around her left eye was a red birthmark of a four-pointed star. She wore a red t-shirt and matching jeans. She also had on a pink apron with "Kiss the Baker" on it.

 _ **Shining Star. Real Name: Jennifer "Jenni" Hendrix Starr. Birthplace: Chicago, IL, USA. Physiology: Mutant Human. Affiliation: West Coast Misfits, Superstars (Vocals, Lead Guitar). Powers and Abilities: Can fire flashes of light from star-covered eye that can hypnotize or temporarily blind others. Can fire lasers from eye and hands.**_

Jenni Starr pulled a bag of flour out of a cupboard. "There we go." The blonde smiled. "That should be all I need. I think I'm going to need some help though." She started to think about who was available. _The Joes are all taking care of some other business at the moment...Theresa and Jinx went out to lunch...Ace and Bart went out to the mall to do some Christmas shopping...Jake's disappeared again, and Longshot went out looking for him...Paul and Craig are working at the studio...Lila's back home in England on a date with Bobby...wait..._ She walked out into the Manor's living room, and saw a boy lying on the couch, playing with a Game Boy Advance SP.

He was a young kid, around thirteen. He wore a blue-and-yellow t-shirt with blue jeans, and dark blue loafers. His brown hair was a bit of a messy mop, going down to his collar. He had a pair of blue shades on his head, and his eyes matched their color.

 _ **Thunderbolt. Real Name: Kyle James Wildfire. Birthplace: Boston, MA, USA. Physiology: Mutant Human. Affiliations: West Coast Misfits, Superstars (Drums, Percussion). Powers and Abilities: Electrokinesis, Flight. Skilled fighter.**_

"Alright!" Kyle grinned, pumping his fist. "Take that, Winona! Your Skarmory is _nothing_ to my Blaziken!"

"Hey, Kyle." Jenni walked over to the young electrokinetic. "You look like you got nothing else to do at the moment."

"I am doing something at the moment. I'm fightin' Winona in Pokemon Sapphire." Kyle told her. "Just beat the holy tar out of her stinkin' Skarmory. Laideth the royal smacketh-down!"

"That's nice. Listen, I'm going to bake some cookies for the big Christmas party. And I could use some help as I plan to make a lot of cookies."

Kyle frowned. "Does the Thunderbolt _look_ like a baker? Go get HIVE Girl and Irish!"

"Jinx and Theresa went out for lunch, remember?" Jenni reminded. She then grinned. "Unless you're afraid."

"...afraid?" Kyle scowled. "The hell you mean by that, Starr?!"

"Well..." Jenni shrugged innocently. "I mean, I doubt the big bad Thunderbolt would be scared of making a few cookies."

"...Afraid. Of making f%$#^& cookies."

"Language, Kyle."

He rolled his eyes at Jenni's admonishment. The young electrokinetic then closed his handheld gaming device, put it in his pocket, and then marched into the kitchen. Jenni smirked in pride. "I know you're playing the Thunderbolt, but you're right. He looked at the ingredients on the counter. "...how in the blue, green, gray, red, fuchsia, yellow, orange, and purple hells do we do this?" He scratched his head in confusion as Jenni walked into the kitchen.

"First, we wash our hands." Jenni advised. "Can't mess with this stuff with dirty hands."

"Yeah, sure." Kyle went over to the sink and started washing his hands. "We're making these cookies for that big Christmas party, right?"

"Yup!" Jenni grinned as she started getting out bowls and measuring cups. "I'm so excited for it! I got some cookie recipes I want to make. Also, our families are coming to visit."

 _Feels like yesterday that it was Thanksgiving._ Kyle thought. He then sighed. _And we all know what a big disaster that was._ "Why are we even doing this, anyway?"

"Because there's that big Christmas party coming up." Jenni explained. She smiled. "We've going to have all our families over. Aren't you excited?"

"I guess so." Kyle sighed. "It will be kind of nice to see Mom and Dad again."

"Why the long face?"

"I dunno..." Kyle shrugged, looking at the bag of flour. "It's just...I'm not lookin' forward to Christmas this year."

"Why?" Jenni blinked. "It's the most wonderful time of the year. It's a time of joy and love."

"Yeah, I know." Kyle sighed. "I'm just not feelin' it this year."

"That's a shame. Is something bothering you?"

"I dunno. I just..." Kyle shook his head. "I just can't bring myself to feel it much this year. I dunno why?"

"Is it because of Thanksgiving?" Jenni blinked. "Because it wasn't that much of a disaster..."

"Naw, but it didn't help." Kyle said. "I don't know. I haven't been feeling myself for a long time now."

"Have you talked to Psyche-Out about this?" Jenni inquired. "That's his job, helping people out with mental issues like this." Kyle shook his head.

"Naw."

"Why not?"

"What would be the point?" Kyle said. "It wouldn't help. It'll never help."

"Kyle, talking about it is a lot better than keeping it bottled up inside."

"It doesn't matter." Kyle growled out. "Nobody ever listens to me anyway!"

"Your endless complaining sure doesn't help things."

"Well, what else can I do?!" Kyle exclaimed. "I feel like I no control over my life anymore! All I can do is complain!"

"Kyle, things could be a lot worse!" Jenni pointed out. "Do you know why we get so frustrated with you?"

"Because I refuse to kiss the Joes' asses!"

"Because neither you nor your brother can seem to get it through your skulls that everything the Joes did was to _protect you!_ I know you hate being on this team, but...what do you want them to do?! Just leave you and Jake out on your own where the Hellfire Club could get you?!"

"...I don't believe in hiding, Jen." Kyle scowled. "When a bully tries their crap, you don't run and hide like cowards. You _stand up._ "

"Kyle, the Hellfire Club aren't just some schoolyard bullies. You can't march up to them and make them back off by punching them in the nose. These were people who had wealth, power, _connections_. Who knows what havoc they could have caused the two of you if the Joes did not take you in. I don't know how else I can explain it to you."

"...Jake and I could have protected our parents." Kyle sadly looked at his hand. He made some electrical arcs run up and down it. "What was the point of getting these powers if we don't get to do some good with them?"

"Kyle, we did. We fought at the Gathering. We helped stop Organization XIII. We helped save the world." She chuckled. "Heck, I'd think you'd have your fill of fighting for a while considering all the Heartless you tore into."

"Yeah, but still..." Kyle made a pair of fists. "Those East Coast Misfit bastards got to fight the Organization XIII. We didn't even get to fight a major member of the Hellfire Club. Just that tub of lard."

"A tub of lard that nearly killed us all." Jenni reminded. "Good thing that Terry, Bart, and Longshot were helping us out. We would likely have been toast if fit weren't for them."

"Jen, bringing them along nearly got us all killed, too! There was a reason why Jake said it was a bad idea, but as typical, _**nobody listens to him or me!**_ "

"We needed help, Kyle. And we had to take it where we could get it." Jenni said. "It wasn't like we could go recruiting or anything. And they proved themselves in the end."

"We won purely by luck." Kyle reminded. "And we can't keep going that way forever!"

"Why do you think that we're working with Terry, Bart, and Longshot a bit harder?" Jenni countered. "We know that, so we're trying to catch them up."

Kyle threw this arms up in the air. "Oh, for the love of-!"

"I know you don't like them on the team." Jenni started to laugh. "But hey, they're great to be around, and they give this team more options power-wise. True, we're still not as diverse power-wise as the East Coast team are, but hey. It lets us be creative." The Bostonian mutant rolled his eyes.

"At least I don't have to put up with goddamn Toad on this team." Kyle muttered. His fists clenched and jaw tightened. The Gathering may be over, but it did nothing to soothe the jealousy-borne hatred the electrokinetic nursed towards the Misfit known as Toad. He swore if he ever saw Pluto or King Mickey again, he would fry them both. And then fry Toad just because he deserved it. Jenni noticed this and sighed.

"You're still angry at Toad?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Kyle sneered. "That guy is a prick."

"You only hate him because he got a Keyblade. Don't you think it's a bit moot to complain about it now? It's not like he has it anymore."

"That doesn't change the fact that that jabroni bastard got to have an electricity-shooting Keyblade, and I didn't." Kyle sneered. "He still got to have one. What made that overgrown frog more worthy than me, huh? Than the Thunderbolt, Boston's most electrifying son, huh?! Damned Pluto."

"To be fair, Pluto didn't know about us when he started handing them out."

"I hate that dog." Kyle grumbled. "I hate that dog, I hate that mouse, I hate the Toad." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I hate them all so much."

"Well, maybe helping me make some cookies will get your mind off it." Jenni offered. Kyle sighed

"Eh, why not?"

 _I'll never understand the Wildfire boys._ Jenni thought. _Being so bitter and angry all the time must be so **exhausting.**_ _How do they do it?_

"Okay, how do I do this?" Kyle asked.

 **A diner in Malibu**

"Okay..." The waitress said as she walked over to the table and started handing out food to its occupants. "A deluxe bacon burger and fries for you, and the Pancake Breakfast special for you."

"Thank you." The occupants said in unison. One of them, a blonde-haired girl with green eyes, licked her lips in eagerness. She wore a green sweater with the collar of a yellow shirt poking out beneath. Her outfit was completed by green slacks, and black shoes.

 _ **Siryn. Real Name: Theresa Rourke-Cassidy. Birthplace: County Cork, Ireland. Physiology: Second-generation Mutant Human. Powers and Abilities: Can create sonic vibrations for various effects, mainly in the form of a sonic scream.**_

Theresa had inherited her mutant powers from her father, the man known as the Banshee. He helped the X-Men fight at the Gathering. "I am so excited to eat this. I have never had an American burger before. I can't believe the thing is so _big!_ Look at it!"

"Eh." Her compatriot shrugged. "I've seen bigger." She had pink hair that was let down, a change from her usual horn-headed style. She wore a black long-sleeved dress with purple higlights, pink-and-black leggings, and thick-soled black boots. Her skin was pale, and she had pink eyes with cat-like irises. Around her neck was a black choker with a silver Ankh charm dangling from it.

 _ **Jinx. Real Name: Unknown. Birthplace: Somewhere in India. Physiology: Enhanced Human (Sorcery). Affiliations: (Formerly) H.I.V.E. (Currently) West Coast Misfits. Powers and Abilities: Probability manipulation, gymnastics skills.**_

Once upon a time, Jinx was part of the group of young superhumans affiliated with the evil organization known as the H.I.V.E, who regularly fought the Teen Titans. However, after she helped the Titans, East Coast Misfits, and the X-Men avert an armageddon created by the demon Trigon, she would be expelled from the group's academy. Shortly afterwards, she was found by General Whithalf, and he brought her to Malibu. There, she was brought into a new group of Misfits the elder general was forming. He was so impressed with the original team he helped put together an off-shoot group based on the west coast of the US, meant to help deal with superhuman threats there.

" _Where?_ " Theresa asked in disbelief as Jinx poured some maple syrup on her pancakes.

"One time, when I was with the H.I.V.E., my old teammates and I went to a diner so we could get fueled up beforehand. We ate at this rustic-looking bar. It was one of those bars that was also a restaurant."

"Where was it?"

"Ah, the name escapes me, unfortunately." Jinx shook her head. She then took a bite of her pancake. "It was somewhere in West Virginia. That I remember." Another bite. "They had this big burger called the 'Mt. Burgerest'."

Theresa snickered. "Mt. Burgerest?"

"It was a nod to Mount Everest." Jinx shrugged. "Anyway, it was this big 15-pound burger. Mammoth looked at it on the menu, and...I told you about Mammoth, right?" A nod from Theresa. "Well, he saw this, and he started drooling. Turns out it was a bit of a challenge. You manage to eat the burger, you get your food order free. Only three people managed to do it in forty years."

"Let me guess. He nailed it."

"Bingo." Jinx confirmed. "Mammoth needed a bit of Pepto-Bismol, but it was worth it. Free food!" Theresa chuckled.

"That sounds epic."

"It was." Jinx chuckled. "The looks on the other patrons' faces when mammoth ate that burger. It was glorious!" A fond smile crossed her face. "I have some pictures of it. I'll show them to you one day."

"You talk quite a bit about yuir old friends at the HIVE." Theresa noted. "It's kind of interesting."

"How?"

"Well..." Theresa tightened her lips. "I hope you're not offended when I say this, but...I never imagined your friends at the HIVE being so...normal in many ways."

"Yeah." Jinx nodded. "I understand. I get that a lot."

"I am sorry if I offended you."

"It's alright, Terry." Jinx waved it off. "People only tend to know about us from TV."

"How'd you end up in the HIVE?" Theresa asked. "I know ye don't like talkin' about yuir past, but I can't help but be curious."

"I..." Jinx sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. "I don't really feel comfortable talking about my past. Let's just say that the HIVE took me in at a time I needed someone in my life."

"They took advantage of you."

"Didn't seem like it at the time." Jinx said. "I needed a home, they gave me one. It also allowed me to meet my two best friends."

"Ye mean Gizmo and Mammoth?" Theresa frowned. "They can't be _that_ good people. They were with the HIVE."

Jinx shrugged. "We did help against Trigon. They stayed because they felt they weren't really the hero type then."

"The certainly proved that."

"I think you're being a bit harsh, Terry." Jinx said. "I think they have it in them, they don't just realize it. They did help us at the Gathering, too."

"Aye, true..." Theresa nodded. "But I'm still a bit wary of them."

"They left three weeks ago, remember? After that whole thing with...Selinda..." Jinx sighed.

"Oh God, that must've been hell for ye."

"Yeah...God, the things she did..." Jinx shook her head. "I was her friend before she died. To think she could come back, and as...that?"

"Yeah." Theresa shuddered. "I still get nervous around that store."

"I don't blame you." Jinx agreed. "What she did to that place...yeah." The two continued to eat in silence for a moment.

"...you looking forward to Christmas?" Theresa asked, in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"Oh yes." Jinx nodded happily. Theresa mentally smiled in pride at her success. "It's going to be my first Christmas with the team."

"Mine, too." Theresa said. "Well, considering when I joined, that makes sense."

"...what are you hoping Santa brings you?"

"Hmmm..." Theresa dramatically put her finger on her chin. "There was this CD of Celtic Thunder I was eyeing..." Jinx nodded in understanding. They were a group of Irish musicians who performed songs in the traditional Irish folk style. Theresa was a big fan of the group, as their music reminded her of her home. "What're hoping Jolly ol' Father Christmas brings you?"

"Me?" Jinx thought about it. "Well...I'm not sure, to be honest."

"Ye must want something."

"Well...in a way, I got everything I want, anyway." Jinx admitted. "I wanted a loving home and a family. And I got that already."

"Ah, I see." Theresa finished her burger. "Mm, that was good."

"Mm." Jinx ate some of her toast. "You can handle the fries?"

"I think so." Theresa looked at her fries. "I can always ask for a doggie bag if I can't finish."

"Yeah, don't want to waste those fries."

"...ye must want _something._ " Theresa dipped a fry in some ketchup and ate it. "I'd feel terrible if ye got nothing for Christmas."

"Aww, you don't need to worry about me." Jinx smiled. "As I said, I got everything I wanted already."

 _Hmmm..._ the Irish girl thought. _Maybe I can contact Moira and Da down at Muir Island Maybe they can help me come up with some ideas to what to get Jinx. I know she has an interest in magic. Back when I first met her on Muir Island and she learned I was from County Cork, she was fascinated by the dig sites there. Maybe I can get her something that was used in an old Celtic ritual? ...Nah. Knowing this bunch, it would probably **be** an actual magical trinket and raise all kinds of Cain. _

"Can I ask you something?" Jinx said.

"Sure."

"...how did your powers manifest?"

"Well, that's quite a story." Theresa admitted. "You see, I spent much of me childhood in private schools."

"Wow." Jinx blinked. "Your family must be rich."

"I have a family castle."

"That is awesome."

"It can be drafty and cold. And ye have to be wealthy ta maintain one."

"Oh yeah." Jinx frowned. "They're also giant money-sucking pits. I can't imagine why anyone would want to keep one."

"It's been in the family for centuries." The Irish girl explained. "Anyway, when I was in private school, I sang in the choir."

"Don't let the Superstars find out, they'll want you to sing on one of their singles."

"I wouldn't mind." Theresa smiled. "I love ta sing. It was while I was singing in a choir that my powers manifested."

"Really?" Jinx chuckled.

"Aye." Theresa nodded. "I was practicing for choir. I had been having some troubles with me throat back then. It was feeling a bit...off. I canna describe it. But I tried ta practice in private. One day, it became a big strain ta sing. I tried to force it, and bam! I let out a sonic blast that blew out a wall."

"Wow." Jinx's jaw dropped. "That must've been hell to explain."

"One of the teachers we had was from Northern Ireland." Theresa recalled. "He said the hole in the wall reminded him of the Troubles. Luckily, nobody saw me."

"Must've been scary." Jinx said. "Having developed these weird powers, not understanding them..."

"It wasn't so bad. Me Uncle Tom was understanding."

"Uncle Tom?"

"Aye." Theresa nodded. "Luckily, he was cool with it all. He helped me understand and train me powers, so they'd get them under control. Technically, he's me cousin, but I called him 'Uncle' Tom. He didn't mind. Helped that he had powers of his own, too."

 _Wait..._ Jinx thought. _Her cousin's name is Tom, and he's presumably Irish like Theresa...no way...is her uncle "Black Tom" Cassidy?! He's a big-time criminal. Makes sense he would not have much issue with Terry being a mutant. He was a mutant himself!_ "Terry, you don't have to answer this, but..."

"Back then, I was unaware me Uncle Tom was a big-time criminal." The Irish mutant explained. "It explained why he seemed ta have no problem with me powers." She sighed. "He wanted to use me in some big criminal scheme, but it all went ta Hell." A sad frown formed. "Uncle Tom took all the heat for me. Said I was just a tagalong. It was how I learned of Da." She scowled. "I thought he was dead all those years. I never got to know him all those years. Tom lied to me."

"Wow. What a jerk."

"I can't help but wonder. Did he truly love me, or was he just raising me as his way of giving the finger to Da?" Theresa said. "Da and Uncle Tom never really liked each other very much.

"You said he told the police to not pin those crimes on you." Jinx reminded. "I think that indicates he loves you in a way."

"True..." Theresa admitted. "But still, he _did_ help me understand me powers. Taught me they were nothing ta be ashamed of."

 **The Malibu Mall**

A young man leaned on a column in a courtyard. He was a tall, burly kid, wearing a blue-and-black leather jacket, blue jeans, black sneakers, and a Megadeth "Peace Sells..." t-shirt. He also had a tiger-print bandanna around his neck. His hair was brown and rather reminiscent of the mane of a lion. Around his left eye was a birthmark of a blue eight-pointed star, with longer cardinal points.

 _ **Wildstar. Real Name: Ace Starr. Birthplace: Los Angeles, CA. Physiology: Mutant Human. Affiliation: West Coast Misfits. Powers and Abilities: Feral mutation (leonine) grants superhuman strength, speed, agility, reflexes, senses, flexibility, healing factor. Can fire blue energy beams from fingers.**_

Ace frowned as he looked at his watch. _Where the hell is Bart?_ He thought in frustration. _For a speedster, that little hummingbird is taking his sweet time. I told him to meet back here when he got his ice cream..._ His superhuman hearing picked up something. _Oh, no..._ The feral mutant sighed, then rolled his eyes. He headed off to the source of the commotion. "Oh, no..." He groaned ad facepalmed when he saw what the commotion was.

A boy, about thirteen years of age, was looking at the choices of flavors of ice cream, deep in thought. His golden-brown eyes showed his confusion. His head was topped by an unusually messy mop of brown hair. He wore a white t-shirt with a red collar, sleeves, and the world "Flash" on it in red lettering it, underlined by a lightning bolt. He also had on red pants, and his rather big feet had covered by white sneakers.

 _ **Impulse: Real Name: Bartholomew "Bart" Allen. Birthplace: Birmingham, AL. Physiology: Mutant Human. Affiliation: West Coast Misfits. Powers and Abilities: Superhuman speed.**_

"Um...uh..." Bart mumbled as his eyes darted back and forth across the flavors. A line had formed behind him, and the occupiers of it were getting rather antsy.

"Hey, kid! Get out of the line if you can't decide what you want!" A customer yelled.

"Yeah! We want ice cream!" Another customer exclaimed.

"Mommy, are we going to get ice cream?" A little girl asked a woman, tears in her eyes.

"Hopefully this year, sweetheart." Her mother said, then glared at Bart.

"Hey, isn't that punk one of those West Coast Misfit clowns?" One of the customers noted.

"Yeah, he is." Another grumbled. "God, they always find new ways to be an embarrassment."

"Kid, can't you just leave the line until you decide?" The vendor pleaded. "The people behind you are getting impatient."

"But I waited already." Bart blinked. "And I still can't decide. They look all so good! Maybe I can have one of every flavor, but that's expensive and I don't have the money-!"

 _ **Thwap!**_

The vendor noticed Ace Starr slapping some money on the counter.

"Two scoops of chocolate for me, and two scoops of chocolate for him." The leonine mutant jerked his thumb at Bart.

"Yes, sir!" The vendor smiled in relief and saluted jauntily. Ace turned to the line.

"He's decided."

"No, I didn't." Bart blinked.

"Shut up, Bart." Ace growled. The line burst out into cheering. The vendor handed Ace a pair of bowls of foam bowls with two scoops of chocolate ice cream in them each. Ace gave one to Bart.

"Thanks. Here's the money." Ace pushed the money towards the vendor, but the smiling vendor just shook his head.

"No charge this time, kid. Just tell your little brother there to decide what he wants _before_ he enters the line."

"He's not my brother." Ace told him as he dragged Bart away, past the cheering line.

"Thank you! Thank you!" A man tearfully threw some roses at Ace.

"Thank God." Another line-waiter muttered.

"You West Coast Misfit punks are a menace! I bet the _real_ Misfits are not this much of a pain!" The woman with the little girl yelled at Bart and Ace.

"Their handlers would be _laughing_ at you if they heard that." Ace muttered under his breath. The two boys then went to a bench and started chowing down. "Bart, what was that all about?"

"I'm sorry." Bart sighed. "It's just...there so many flavors of ice cream and they all looked so good. And I'm not allowed to have one scoop of very flavor because that'd be too much sugar, and I'm not allowed to have that much sugar because it makes me very hyper and-"

"I get it, Bart." Ace nodded. "Next time though, make a decision before you get in line. Have you thought about what you're going to get the others for Christmas?"

"Yup!" Bart nodded excitedly. He pulled out a folded piece of paper from his pocket. "Got my list right here. You going to get some things?"

"Well, of course." Ace grinned. "That's why I was coming here today."

"I thought you were coming here because you wanted to look at pretty girls."

"That's a bonus, my little speedy friend." Ace grinned. The two then finished their ice cream. "Where you have to go first?"

"Is that old game store still there?" Bart asked. Ace nodded.

"Yeah, it was."

"Great!" Bart grinned. "I want to get an old game for Kyle."

"Alright, let's go." Ace said. The boys threw out their bowls and headed to the game store. As they were looking around, the feral mutant saw a pair of pretty girls looking at the rack of DVDs on the wall. Ace smirked and walked over to them.

"Hmmm..." One of the girls thought out loud as she picked out a DVD set. "Hey, this show is really good."

"Karen, that's on Netflix." The other girl said. "We can watch that anytime." Ace got a glance at the DVD set she was holding.

"Yeah, but for how long, Marsha? Stuff leaves it all the time." Karen said. "At least with this, I'll have a backup."

"I personally recommend the second season myself." Ace told Karen. "The first season isn't terrible, but it is rather rough. It's the second season where things get much more polished."

"Oh, thanks!" Karen grinned. "I'll keep an eye out for it." Marsha frowned at the feral mutant.

"Hey, you look familiar." Marsha said. "Do I know you from somewhere?"

"You may have seen me on the news." Ace smiled.

"Yeah, I think I have." Marsha realized. "Oh my God, you're one of the West Coast Misfits, aren't you?"

"I'm Wildstar, babe! King of the California Rock 'n' Roll Jungle!"

"More like King of the Clowns." Marsha sneered. "Aren't you guys, like, a parody of the Misfits or something?"

"We're a legit superteam! We helped fight at the Gathering of Twilight!"

"Sure you did." Marsha smirked, indicating she did not believe the West Coast Misfit.

"We did!" Ace insisted.

"Come on, Karen!" Marsha snickered. "Let's let the wannabe superhero alone. Maybe one day, he'll get the help he needs one day." She started laughing as she left. Karen frowned, and looked at Ace sympathetically.

"I'm sorry about that."

"We've been getting that a lot lately." Ace sighed.

"Well, if it's any consolation, I do appreciate the DVD recommendation." Karen smiled. "I think you West Coasters will get a chance to prove yourself one day."

"Thanks. That means a lot." Ace smiled slightly.

"No problem." Karen gave Ace a hug. She then went to pay for the DVD set. Bart walked up to him.

"I got my game!" The young mutant crowed triumphantly, holding up his small bag.

"Oh! Uh...great, Bart." Ace nodded. "Let's go."

"Hey, you alright?" The speedster asked.

"Eh, I'm cool." Ace shrugged.

"I saw you talking with those girls." Bart blinked. "They didn't like you very much, huh?"

"It's the whole West Coast Misfit thing. People see us as a joke."

"Well, Jinx likes you." Bart smiled. "So there is that."

"True." Ace shrugged. "She is kinda cute..."

"I don't get why people laugh at us." Bart shook his head. "We're heroes! We helped save the world!"

"Eh, people love to tear celebrities down as much as they love to build them up." Ace sighed. "It's sad, but it's the way of things."

"...that really doesn't seem right." Bart shook his head. "I mean, I get that we're not on the level of the Eastern team, but that doesn't mean we are a joke."

"We haven't really done a lot since the Gathering." Ace explained. "Hasn't helped that the public din't see us fight Fatboy and the Heartless."

 **Elsewhere in Malibu**

A muscular teenage boy sat on the roof of a tall building in Malibu, looking out over the city. He had a small container with a few chocolate milkshakes in it. He gazed out at the city, sipping on one of the milkshakes. He wore a red t-shirt with blue jean shorts. His blue eyes were hidden by sunglasses, and his mid-length hair was a fiery red. Amusingly, it was yellow at the temples.

 _ **Red Dragon. Real Name: Jake Robert Wildfire. Birthplace: Boston, MA. Physiology: Mutant Human. Affiliation: West Coast Misfits. Powers and abilities: Flight, can breathe fire. Can also transform into an anthropomorphic dragon. In Dragon Mode, Wildfire has Hulk-level strength, speed, durability, and healing factor. Dragon Mode can only be maintained for short periods of time due to immense power of it.**_

 _Heh._ He mentally noted with some amusement. _I'd never imagine that I'd be enjoying milkshakes in December. But then again, it wouldn't be 70 degrees back home in Boston right now. I bet they're dealing with a ton of snow right now. God, I miss home._

 _ **Fwash!**_

Jake turned around and saw another teenage boy had teleported in. This one was a thin, handsome kid, with his blonde hair being in a mullet-like style. He wore a black t-shirt and matching jeans. Around his neck was a yellow bandanna.

 _ **Longshot. Real Name: None, but given the identity "Arthur Centino" by GI Joe. Birthplace: Mojoworld. Physiology: Artficially-engineered mystically-enhanced lifeform. Affiliation: West Coast Misfits. Powers and Abilities: Superhuman acrobatic skills, healing factor, superhuman agility, psychometry, and luck manipulation.**_

"What's up, Longshot?" Jake asked.

"Hello, Jake." The artificial lifeform smiled. "What are you doing?"

"Just looking out at the city." The red headed Bostonian answered, gesturing out at the skyline. "I never thought I'd be doing something like that out at this time of year." He also looked down at the milkshake in his hands. "I also thought I'd never be having these in this time of year, either. If everyone in Boston could see me now."

"I see." Longshot eyed the milkshakes in Jake's container. "Were you expecting company? I noticed you have more than one milkshake there." Jake shrugged.

"Help yourself. I have a powerful metabolism, hence the multiple shakes." He looked out at Malibu's skyline as Longshot helped himself to one of Jake's milkshakes. "Back home, I'd be bundlin' up and fighting the cold."

"Mmmm..." Longshot smiled happily as he tasted the milkshake. "This is wonderful. Thank you."

"Yeah, you're welcome. And milkshakes are great."

"...you said your home would be very cold. You're talking about Boston, right?"

"Of course." Jake answered. "I'm from there."

"Is it normally cold this time of year?"

"Quite cold, yeah." Jake nodded. "I remember there were some bad blizzards. Nor'Easterns."

"That must've been scary."

Jake shrugged. "Bostonians are used to it." He looked at Longshot. "Mojoworld is a whole 'nother madhouse. I don't know how you can be from there and have some semblance of sanity."

"I guess you have to be a native to truly understand Mojoworld." Longshot suggested.

"No kidding." Jake rolled his eyes. "I still get massive headaches just _thinking_ about that place. Give me plain ol' Earth any day. At least here, things make _sense_...well, sort of. Makes sense more here than your home does. No offense."

"None taken."

"...how're you liking life here so far?" Jake asked.

Longshot grinned. "I'm really enjoying it. It's more like the ancient transmissions we got from your world."

"Oh yeah." Jake frowned. He had learned of the origins of Longshot and Mojo, and quite frankly, it only added to the redheaded mutant's distaste for the place. If he _ever_ saw Mojoworld again, it would be far, _far_ too soon for him. _I wonder if he knows about that..._ _ **special**_ _surprise that the others have whipped up for him..._ "As I said, I'm not fond of Mojoworld very much." He decided to change the subject as Longshot took a seat next to him. "You looking forward to that big Christmas party?"

"Oh, yes!" Longshot nodded excitedly, nodding his head. "Hopefully, it will be as fun as Thanksgiving was!"

 _Oh, God..._ Jake rolled his eyes, and facepalmed. Longshot blinked.

"You did not enjoy Thanksgiving?"

Jake sighed and sipped his milkshake. "It's not that. It was...different, that's for sure. But that's not what a Thanksgiving dinner should be like."

"I see." Longshot nodded in understanding. "So...what should they be like?"

"You never learned this?" Jake blinked in disbelief. "I thought that Mojoworld got television trnasmissions from Earth! You got those, and you _never_ got to see a traditional Thanksgiving celebration?!"

"Well, to be fair, we had no context." Longshot explained. Jake opened his mouth to answer that, but then closed it up when he thought about what he was about to say.

"Yeah, I suppose you have a point there." The redhead admitted, sipping his drink. "...How are you liking being a West Coast Misfit so far?"

"I love it!" Longshot grinned. "I have not had this much fun in a long time!"

"Glad you're having it."

"I wish you would see it." Longshot smiled. "We get to have epic adventures, see incredible sights, and make wonderous friends! I wish you could see that."

"I wish I could, too."

"You know what the problem is?" Longshot smiled as he sat down next to Jake. "I think you're afraid of opening up."

Jake frowned at the artificial lifeform. "...what's that supposed to mean?"

"Well...yu always try to distance yourself from everyone else." Longshot explained. "You keep yourself distant because you fear that if you allow yourself to build bonds of camaraderie and friendship with your fellow West Coast Misfits, you'll let go of your bitterness towards this team."

"Being friends with the others won't change the fact that I was forced on this team against my will, Longshot." Jake retorted. "I'm _not_ afraid of losing my bitterness."

"Then why don't you open up?"

"Because I don't _want_ to." Jake answered. "Why should I? I never wanted to be on this team. I was put on here because ol' General Half-Wit was too stupid to get the hint that Kyle and I did not want his protection."

"I never understood why you didn't want the General to protect you."

"Because Kyle and I wanted to protect our families." Jake explained. "We had powers. And we sure as hell weren't afraid of the Hellfire Club. But now..." He sighed. "We'll never know. And Kyle and I wanted payback on those Hellions, too. They were bastards. But thanks to General Half-Wit, we never got that." He clenched a fist. "They were monsters, Longshot. You know this."

"And they did pay for what they had done." Longshot recalled. "They certainly _did_ pay."

"Yeah." Jake bitterly sipped his milkshake. "And I got to administer none of it."

"...were the Hellions cruel to you?"

"No, but it wasn't what they did to me. It was because they were terrible people who had to be stopped. They were cruel to others, and they deserved to pay for it."

"But they _did,_ Jake. The Hellions are gone."

"...I wish me and Kyle were the ones to administer payback to them." Jake sighed. "But we didn't."

"Does it really matter?" Longshot stated. "The Hellions did receive a punishment for their crimes. Does it really matter who administered it."

"I know it shouldn't, but..." Jake sighed. "I agreed to help the Joes spy on the Hellions because they were monsters that needed to be stopped. And I never got to stop them."

"We don't always get what we want, Jake." Longshot smiled. "And that's okay." He looked out at the skyline. "You don't want to join us at the Christmas party?" Jake shook his head. "Why not?"

"I...I don't really feel up to it." Jake sighed.

"But the others would like to see you there."

"I know, but we barely see you anymore." Longshot said. "We only really see you on missions. And it is Christmas time coming up. Isn't that supposed to be a time of everyone coming together?"

"I never...I..." Jake trailed off, struggling to find an answer.

"You must be lonely. You cannot tell me you enjoy being alone all the time." Longshot frowned. "I was told that humans were social creatures. Do you not crave social interaction?"

"...I get plenty of it on missions."

"But it is Christmastime. Don't you want to spend it with us? We want to spend it with you. Jinx has said once that she considers the West Coast Misfits her family. And you are one. You are family to us. So let us be family to you." Jake rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Alright, but only because it's Christmas time. Besides, being alone with my thoughts all the time can be rather dull at times."

"That's the spirit!"

 **The West Coast Misfit Manor**

Underneath the West Coast Misfits' home/HQ, there was, among some other things, a recording studio. It was a soundproofed area that allowed the members of the Superstars to record their music in a peaceful area.

One of the members of the band was quietly playing an acoustic guitar in the "live" area of the studio, where the Superstars did the actual recording. He was a teenage boy with long black hair, which went over his chocolate brown eyes, which were now closed in thought. The left eye was covered by a purple birthmark that resembled a 5-pointed star. He wore a black Kiss t-shirt with a purple denim vest and matching jeans. Around his neck was a zebra-print bandanna, and he had some silver-and-black bracelets around his wrists. His hands were covered by black fingerless gloves, and he was tapping one of his black sneaker-clad feet on the ground as he played.

 _ **Starchild. Real Name: Paul Stanley Starr. Birthplace: Los Angeles, CA. Physiology: Mutant Human. Affiliations: West Coast Misfits, Superstars (Vocals, Rhythm Guitar). Powers and abilities: Star-covered eye can emit flashes of light that can temporarily blind or put in a hypnotic trance. Eye can also fire purple lasers. Telepathic link with twin brother Craig.**_

Paul played an improvised tune on his guitar, and started to hum. He then yawned a bit, feeling a bit of fatigue on him.

"Feelin' tired, brother?" He heard a voice say over the speaker. Paul then looked into the control room and saw a teenage boy sitting at the console in the control room. This boy was identical to Paul appearance-wise, except for his star-shaped birthmark being black. He wore a black leather jacket with studs on the lapels and small spikes on the shoulders, and silver stars on the cuffs, a KISS "Revenge" t-shirt underneath it, and a pair of blue jeans, with black steel-toed boots.

 _ **Darkstar. Real Name: Craig Allman Starr. Birthplace: Los Angeles, CA. Physiology: Mutant Human. Affiliations: West Coast Misfits, Superstars (Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals). Powers and Abilities: Star-covered eye can emit flashes of light that can temporarily blind or put in a hypnotic trance. Eye can also fire purple lasers. Telepathic link with twin brother Paul.**_

"A little bit. You?"

Craig shrugged. "A bit. We've been working hard at this Maybe we should take a break." Paul nodded.

"Yeah, I'm all for that myself." Paul agreed. He made his way out of the recording area.

"...had the nightmares again?" Craig deduced. Paul nodded. "No surprise. We went through a war. You don't go through that without _some_ kind of scarring. I highly doubt there were any of us that hasn't been affected by what happened at the Gathering."

"Yeah." Paul nodded. "I've been talking to the therapist about them. It's helped."

"Good." Craig said. "I have a session soon myself."

"You know, I never imagined you going to a therapist." Paul smiled. "That's a good thing."

"That whole Gathering thing has made me think about a lot of things." Craig admitted. "And I was tired of the nightmares." He looked at Paul. "I wish I could blame you for them, but they clearly didn't come from your mind."

Paul blinked in confusion. "How could you tell?"

"...even your _nightmares_ have to be pleasant in some way." Craig grumbled. Paul chuckled.

"Wow. I never imagined the idea of nightmares being pleasant for anyone."

"You're a weird guy, Paul." Craig pinched the bridge of his nose. "I still am amazed we are brothers."

"Me, too." Paul agreed. He sighed. "I hope the X-Men are alright. Especially that new girl they picked up. She's a bit of an odd one. Cute, but odd."

"Yeah, thought she was a cat." Craig recalled. "Hard to believe she knew the Hellions." Craig scoffed. "The Hellions. I doubt anyone will miss them."

"Their families did." Paul said. "That's why they're suing the X-Men."

"Oh God, the lawsuit." Craig groaned, rolling his eyes. "How the hell did those people not know their kids were evil?"

"That's kind of the whole point." Paul reminded. "They claim not only were their kids brainwashed, but the X-Men knew about it and did nothing to stop it."

"That's a load of bull." Craig snorted. "I'm not exactly a member of the X-Men Fan Club, but I do know that if the X-Men knew the Hellions _were_ brainwashed, then they would have helped them. ...or at last, tried to."

"Indeed." Paul agreed. "But...if they were brainwashed, how come Jake and Kyle didn't know about it? They did go undercover as students at that place."

"They went undercover at Frost's Academy." Craig remembered. "I don't remember if they did missions with the Hellions or not. And they never want to talk about it."

"I don't blame them, really." Paul nodded. "If I had to spend time with those maniacs, I would want to forget it ever happened, too." He then chuckled. "Although it is funny seeing Jake get all annoyed at the mention of Roulette."

"Yeah, she had a bit of a thing for the Red Dragon." Craig snorted. "God knows why, though. Guy's more miserable than me."

"He wasn't always that way." Paul reminded. "He was nice once."

"That I find hard to believe." Craig scoffed.

Paul shrugged. "Believe what you want, bro." He then sighed. "Craig?"

"Mm..."

"Remember that show we had in Brisbane?"

"The one that ended in a riot? Oh, God..." Craig groaned. "We got our fair share of anti-mutant weirdos, but that was a new level of weirdos there. I think the Australian bush makes people go crazy. Ballarat was nice, though. Jenni loved seeing where they filmed that show about that doctor."

"Yeah." Paul nodded. "Well, during that whole ruckus, one of the rioters screamed about his family. He said his whole family died during the madness with the Heartless. He kept screaming we didn't try to save them."

"Paul..."

"I just remember that rage in his eyes." Paul recalled. "The rage...and the pain. The worst part was...he was right. We didn't even try ot help that man."

"Paul, let me tell you something." Craig said. "When things go wrong, people will always try to find someone to blame. They blame us because they either have no idea what we did during the Gathering, nor believe we did anything during that whole thing. Tragedy can bring out the worst in people. Look at that psycho Castle. His family gets shot, he turns into a whackjob."

"Didn't the Punisher die during the Heartless invasion?" Paul recalled.

"Heh." Craig snickered. "Knowing that crazy bastard, it's going to take a lot more than some ugly monsters to finally kill him. I know the Joker died." Craig smirked. "Got ripped apart by the Heartless like tissue paper. Heh. Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy, really."

"Yeah, Batgirl told me about it." Paul nodded. He then winced. "Harley Quinn...took it well."

"Not surprising. Girl was _obsessed_ with that sick clown." Craig snorted. "Of _course_ she was going to go on a rampage and blame it on Batman."

"Yeah...man, it seems like in a way, things got _worse_ after the Gathering ended." Paul shook his head. "The X-Men have that lawsuit against them, our careers took a bad hit, Kid Razor went crazy and tried to kill Superman, and half of Metropolis got wrecked as a result..."

"Didn't help that Metropolis has that new superhero. Victory or something like that." Craig remembered. "He also laid a beating on the Man of Steel."

"...the tensions with the Locals..." Paul continued, then bowed his head. "Christmas is coming. Things shouldn't feel like this on Christmas."

"As I said, brother. Victory has a price." Craig said sagely. "It doesn't matter if it's Christmas or not. The price must be paid. And right now, we are paying it. Our rock careers. The union of the superhero community. That was the coin."

"But you think that man had a point?" Paul asked. "Were we being selfish when we fought in Los Angeles? The local heroes love to say that a lot about us."

"Paul, the locals went through hell, and it made them bitter." Craig explained. "And when you're bitter, you don't always see everything through clear eyes. I should know."

"It sucks, man." Paul sighed.

"Welcome to the real world, brother." Craig got up to leave.

"Where you going?!"

"I'm going to get a snack." Craig answered. "Jenni's baking a batch of cookies, and even I'm not immune to them."

 **London, England**

 **(Author's Note: Yeah, I need to explain some context here. You see, this is a side story to RogueFanKC's "Kingdom Hearts: Mutants of Twilight", that was originally started to be published in 2006, many years before Iceman was retconned to be a gay man in the comics. And RogueFanKC intended Bobby in the end of that story to enter into a romance with Lila Cheney. Keep in mind, at that time, Iceman was not retconned to be a gay man then. Thank you for understanding.)**

Down a street, one of the X-Men looked around and back down at the piece of paper in his hand. He was a brunet young man, wearing a blue suit with a purple shirt and pink tie. He had been given the suit for his date tonight by the person he was meeting for it. It fit him perfectly.

 _ **Iceman. Real Name: Robert "Bobby" Drake. Birthplace: Trenton, New Jersey. Affiliation: X-Men. Powers and Abilities: Cryokinesis.**_

Robert Drake smiled as he reached the building at the end, particularly when he caught the view of the neon sign there.

"Just like she said." The icemaker grinned, making sure his tie was straight. "The club at the end of the street." He walked up to the club's entrance, and noticed the bouncer. He was a tall muscular man with black hair and a crooked nose, indicating it was broken in the past and never set properly. "Uh, hi."

"'Ello." The man said flatly, his voice showing his Cockney accent.

"Uhm, my name is Bobby Drake, and uh..."

The bouncer looked at his phone. He nodded and smiled at Bobby. "Ah, right. Miss Cheney's expectin' ya. Come on in." He opened the door. Bobby grinned and strutted in. His eyes then widened at the sight of the club. The club itself was rather large. He found himself standing at a balcony, peering down at the dance floor, the tiles pulsing in various colors. The stage behind it had a trio playing some jazz. The piano player wore a glittery purple jacket and matching garrison cap. The right side had a bar, and tables with chairs surrounded the dance floor.

"Excuse me, Mr. Drake?" Bobby heard a woman's voice, her accent showing she was from the Caribbean. He turned and saw a dark-skinned woman smiling at him. She was tall and thin, her hair in cornrows with colorful beads, dressed in a black business jacket and skirt, a white blouse underneath. She was carrying a portable scanner in her hand. "Forgive the intrusion, but I have to scan you. It's a standard security procedure, as we do get some prominent guests here."

"Oh, sure." The ice-maker nodded. The woman ran the scanner over the young mutant, the device squealing as it did its job. She nodded in satisfaction. "He's clean. I'll let her know he's here." She went off ahead.

"Alright." The bouncer nodded. "Right this way, Mr. Drake." He led the cryokinetic to one of the tables. There, Lila Cheney sat, talking with the Caribbean woman who checked Bobby earlier.

"Wow..." Bobby whispered in awe as he got a look at the singer/superheroine. Her wild black hair was in a ponytail, and she wore a black and gold one-shoulder dress. She also wore black opera gloves with golden bracelets.

"Thanks, Honey." She said to the Caribbean woman, who nodded and walked away. She grinned widely and waved over. "Over here, love!"

"Lucky you, dating a rockstar." The bouncer chuckled.

"I sure am." Bobby agreed with a nod.

"Have a good time, kid." The bouncer patted his shoulder and left. The icemaker walked up to the table.

"You look good, Lila." Bobby smiled.

"So do you, love." Lila nodded. She then noticed the suit. "I hope that suit I got you fit."

"Looks great. Very comfortable." Bobby said as he took a seat.

"...I don't remember it having a tie, though."

"Yeah, Tabby gave it to me."

Lila smirked. "A pink tie...with a blue suit and purple shirt? I know you wanted to keep quiet about that for now, but..."

"Yeah, I don't think Tabby got it." Bobby shrugged. "She just grabbed one of the Professor's ties."

"So, you're wearing one of the headmaster's stolen ties, eh?" Lila smirked cheekily, sipping some water. "Oh, I am corrupting you wonderfully."

"Man, I really regret telling you about me sometimes." Bobby muttered. Lila laughed.

"Love, you know me. I kept quiet, just like you asked."

"I appreciate that, Lila. I really do." Bobby smiled.

"No problem, love." Lila smiled. "But you have to tell them at some point. Your Uncle Frank was right."

"I know." Bobby sighed. "I'm scared. Especially how the guys will react."

"If they're that bloody insecure about you also being able to have relationships with men, that's _their_ problem, not yours." Lila sneered.

"Yeah, I know." Bobby agreed. "But still..." Lila noticed a waiter walk up to them.

"Let's table it for a tick, love. Whatcha wanna eat?"

 **Elsewhere in Malibu**

 _The Emerald Isle_ was a small shop in the city of Malibu that specialized in products from Ireland. And one of its regular customers was a certain blonde Irish West Coast Misfit. The cashier looked up from doing some counting when she heard the door's bells ring. Said blonde Irish West Coast Misfit walked into the building. The cashier smiled.

"Hello, Theresa!" She waved, a smile on her face. Her voice showed that like Theresa, she was a native of the Emerald Isle.

"Hey there, Melissa." Theresa waved back.

"Ran out of your favorite biscuits already, huh?"

"Eh, the others found them and got into them." Theresa sighed. "I don't blame them, though. They are really good."

"Hey, at least it keeps you coming back and buying more biscuits, helping me stay in business." Melissa chuckled.

"That's true." Theresa admitted with a smile. "I'm looking to buy some music."

"I've got a rack of CDs over there." Melissa pointed at a corner. I'm guessing it's for Christmas?"

"Aye. Thanks!" She went over to the CDs and looked them over.

 **West Coast Misfit Manor**

Jenni Starr pulled out a rack of cookies from the stove and placed the pan on the burners. The blonde girl looked over the cookies.

"Wow, Kyle. They look great."

"Really." Kyle blinked.

"Yup." Jenni smiled in approval. "They look fantastic. Not bad for your first ever batch of cookies."

"Yeah, but cookies are made to be eaten, Blondie." He looked back at the other room. "I still can't believe that she's here."

Jenni shrugged nonchalantly. "Why's that strange? She's a friend, not to mention an honorary West Coast Misfit."

 _This team sure loves collecting blondes and energy powers._ Kyle mentally grumbled. _Go figure this team would get one that'd be both._ "You'd think she'd have better things to do than hang out with us."

"Eh, rock stars can take a break every now and then." She smiled at Kyle. "You feeling any better?"

"I...I suppose." Kyle responded, his voice showing his unsureness. "A little bit."

"Well, as long as it helps." Jenni smiled. "I can imagine these cookies are going to be delicious."

"...you think so?"

"Yup." Jenni nodded. She heard the door close. The two looked into the front door area, and saw a smiling Theresa walk in, carrying a small bag. Jinx was right behind her.

"Come on, Terry!" The hexcaster begged. "Let me see!"

"Nope! You'll have to wait." Theresa teased. "Ye'll have ta wait till Christmas Day."

"Not even a peek?"

"Not even a peek."

"Hey, girls!" Jenni waved. Kyle silently mimicked her motion.

"Hey, Jen." Jinx waved back. "Did she arrive?"

"Yup!" Jenni nodded. "She's hanging out upstairs."

"I hope you warned her about some of the trinkets in my room." Jinx pointed out.

"I did. She...understood."

"I hope so." Jinx said. "Some of those things have to be handled _very_ carefully." _And that one small gargoyle statue I_ _ **have**_ _to get to Doctor Strange. I keep meaning to send the thing, but I always forget..._

"I'm surprised she agreed to come visit us." Theresa noted. "I mean, we aren't exactly the place for the Hollywood celebs to go to. Do the Joes know about this?"

"Of course." Jenni stated. "And she's our friend. Not like she doesn't know what this place is."

"...Fair enough." Theresa admitted. "Is Lila still out on her date with the ice boy?"

"Yeah. She'll be back later. And Ace and Bart are at the mall getting some Christmas shopping done."

"If you ask me, it won't be long before Iceboy find a way to screw things up." Kyle grumbled, crossing his arms. "Guy's a major league dumbass."

"Oh ye of little faith." Jenni teased.

"Still not a fan of the X-Men, huh?" Jinx chuckled.

"Oh, gee. Ya think?" Kyle mocked.

"Kyle helped me make some cookies today." Jenni smiled proudly at the electrokinetic. "Turns out the surly little electric battery here's got a knack for it." She tousled Kyle's hair playfully, making the Bostonian mutant frown comically at her.

"Oh ho _ho_ , that's great! Kyle the baker!" Jinx chortled in amusement. "That's adorable! The image of you wearing the little baker's hat and apron? That's incredible!"

"Laugh it up, HIVE-girl. The Thunderbolt ain't making nothin' for you."

"Hey, you must be feeling better!" Jenni chuckled. "You're actually referring to yourself in the third person again." Paul and Craig walked into the room. "Hey, guys. How'd the recording session go?"

"Pretty well, not withstanding." Craig answered.

"Yeah." Paul nodded. "Although I will admit, it's not quite the thrill it was once."

"It's easy to enjoy things when you're on top of the world and have nothing to worry about." Craig said.

"Yeah, true." Paul agreed.

"At least ye got to enjoy fame while it lasted." Theresa pointed out. Paul nodded with a smile.

"That's also true, Terry." Paul said. Terry smiled.

 _I can certainly see why so many girls adore the Starchild so much._ The Irish girl mentally chuckled. _He's got a pretty smile._

 **Malibu Mall**

"Well, I got all my stuff." Ace Starr grinned, holding up some bags. "You ready, shortstuff?"

"Yup!" Bart smiled, holding up his bags. "What'd you get me?!"

"You'd have to wait until Christmas to find out, kid." Ace explained.

"Awww...not even a peek?" Bart pouted.

"Nope, you'll get on Santa's Naughty List." Ace grinned. "You don't want that, do you?"

"I...guess not."

"Well, there you go. Alright, let's get out of here and head home."

"Alright!" Bart pumped his fist in the air excitedly...but then yawned. "Being here makes me tired."

"Yeah, this place will do that to you for some reason. Maybe it's something in the air here?" Ace found himself yawning.

"Yawns are contagious." Bart giggled.

"Yeah, yeah." Ace waved it off. "Come on, let's get this stuff in the car." The two young mutants were about to leave when they heard a commotion. "The hell?"

"We should check it out." Bart suggested.

"Bart, we have to-!"

 _ **ZIP!**_

Bart grabbed his and Ace's bags, and took them back to his car. He then zipped right back.

"Bags in car! Let's go!" He ran ahead at a more normal speed.

"Bart, you better have not have peeked at my gift for you!" Ace yelled as he followed the young Alabaman. Elsewhere in the mall, a group of mall cops were trying to stop a thief.

"Stop him! Stop him! Augh!" One exclaimed as he got covered in sludge thanks to a boomerang.

"Keep trying, cobbers!" An Australian man wearing a blue and purple costume with white boomerangs adorning it taunted. Fred Myers, aka the Boomerang, was fleeing from a store after robbing it. He had carried some money in a bag he slung over his shoulder. "I fought the Hulk and _lived_!"

"Well, I'm no Hulk..." Ace Starr grinned as he flipped in front of the supervillain. "But I think yours truly could give you a nice little challenge." His grin widened as his energy claws erupted with blue laser power.

"Kid, you're nothing compared to the Hulk." Boomerang snickered, pulling out a pair of the namesake Ausralian hunting weapons from his belt. "And I'm gonna show ya!" He tossed a pair of boomerangs at Ace. With a _**POOF**_ noise, they split into four. Ace blasted two, then slashed the others into pieces. The mercenary then noticed two girls, one helping the other up after tripping. He tossed a boomerang at them.

"Crap!" Ace cursed as he raced to the boomerang. He dared not fire a laser at it, as he might hit the girls. He manged to slash at the boomerang. However, this one had a nasty surprise.

 _ **Bzzt!**_

"AGH!" Ace yelped as an electric shock raced through his body. As he fell to his knee, he glanced at the two girls and groaned. They were the same two girls he met earlier. _Oh, man..._ Karen gasped in shock and concern, and Marsha facepalmed.

 _Time to get outta here!_ Boomerang grabbed his money and fled, but...

 _ **Fwoosh! Pow!**_

"AGH!" The criminal yelped as Bart zipped up to him and punched him in the face. The blow sent him tumbling over a couple times, then he landed face-first on the ground. "Ohhhh, bloody hell...I hate Malibu..."

"Yeah!" Bart whooped, pumping his fist in the air. "I did it!"

"Nice job, kiddo." Ace grunted as he tried to shake off the shock. "Get his boomerangs. Be careful, though! Some of them have some nasty tricks."

"You got it!" Bart zipped up to the downed merc and checked him for any hidden weapons. Meanwhile Ace felt Karen trying to help him up.

"Thanks." Ace grunted. Marsha frowned at him.

"Good thing you're part of a team, pal. Solo superheroing ain't your strength." She cracked, making Karen glare at her.

"Seriously?!" She hissed. She then looked at Ace as he let her go. "Are you alright?"

"Feeling much better now." Ace smiled in a charming manner. As some mall cops took care of the supervillain, Bart zipped up to Ace.

"Did you see that, Ace?! Did you see that?!" Bart whooped excitedly, jumping up and down like his body had a ton of excess energy it needed to unload somehow. "I hit him like WHAM! And he went down like UHN! And he flipped around like wum-wum-wum..."

Ace snickered and tousled Bart's head. "Good job, kiddo. The Joes'll be proud of you. Did you disarm him?"

"Uh-huh!" Bart held up a bunch of boomerangs. "I got 'em right here." Ace noticed some cops tending to the moaning Boomerang.

"Yeah, you'd better give them to the nice cops over there." The feral mutant pointed them out to Bart.

"Righty-O!" Bart zipped up to them. Karen chuckled.

"Your little brother is a real hummingbird, ain't he?"

"He's not my brother." Ace corrected. "Not by blood, at least."

"I think that kid needs Ritalin. Badly." Marsha frowned.

"Eh, good luck with that." Ace retorted. "Bart's had his fill of medication to last him a long time."

"Was he sick?" Karen asked.

"His powers were kind of messing his body up. Had to go to a special hospital." Ace explained. "He's much better now, but they have to still evaluate him regularly."

"So, letting a hyperactive mutant with unstable powers fight crime." Marsha snorted, crossing her arms. "And you wonder why the West Coast Misfits are looked at as a joke."

"Marsha, shut up!" Karen hissed.

"Seriously, what did you even _do_ during the Gathering?" Marsha asked as Bart zipped up to them.

"What's going on?" The confused speedster blinked.

"Nothing, just Marsha being a jerk!" Karen glared.

"Seriously, girl! What is your freakin' deal?" Ace frowned.

"Yeah! We just saw them beat a real supervillain!" Karen added.

"Isn't that one a bit of a clown?" Marsha frowned. "I man, he just throws boomerangs."

"Guy survived the Hulk. You'd have to be a serious badass to pull that off." Ace told the girl.

"Yeah, he's like, really big, green, and mean." Bart added. "I saw _Superman_ fight him once. He stood toe-to-toe, and Superman's like, the strongest guy ever!"

"Wow." Karen gasped.

"Okay, maybe he _was_ tougher than you think." Marsha conceded.

"You don't survive the Hulk without being tough." Bart shrugged. "Or lucky."

"Well, if it's any consolation, I think you guys are pretty awesome." Karen told Ace and Bart.

"Thanks, babe. I appreciate it." Ace nodded.

"We are pretty awesome!" Bart grinned.

"Yeah, we should get home."

 **Malibu Base**

"Guess who's home!" Longshot whooped as he walked into the West Coast Misfit Manor. Behind him was one Jake Wildfire, sipping his milkshake.

"Jake, where have you been?!" Jinx asked.

"Out. Exploring." Jake answered simply.

"I found him on top of a building, looking out at the skyline." Longshot explained. "I managed to convince him to join us for the upcoming Christmas party." Jake stayed silent, just sipping his milkshake.

"Longshot, you are a miracle worker." Jenni gaped in amazement.

Longshot blushed and rubbed the back of his head. "I do my best."

"Nice to see you are going to join us, Jake." Jinx said.

"I grew kind of bored with being by myself all the time." Jake shrugged.

"I think deep down, he wants to build bonds with us, but is afraid to." Longshot stated, which made Jake sigh and facepalm.

"Oh, we got a surprise for you, Longshot." Jenni took Longshot's hand and put him under a door frame.

"Here it comes..." Jinx grinned, Theresa giggling. Jake, Kyle, Paul, and Craig just observed silently.

"I think Longshot is going to love this." Paul snickered.

"Now close your eyes, man." Jenni ordered. The artificial lifeform obeyed. Jenni then left. The other West Coast Misfits looked at each other. Jake eyed the mistletoe hanging on the door.

"I'm guessing that Jenni is responsible for that." He whispered to Theresa.

"I think it's sweet." The Irish girl told him.

"That's our Jenni, ever the romantic." Jinx chuckled.

"Okay!" Jenni ran back into the room. "Your eyes still shut, Longshot?"

"Yes."

"Good." She nodded in satisfaction. She called out into the hall. "Okay! Now!" Longshot gasped in surprise as a pair of hands clasped themselves over his eyes. A voice then whispered in his ear.

"Merry Christmas, Longshot." A voice familiar to the extradimensional artificial lifeform whispered. He blinked as the hands uncovered his eyes. Longshot turned around and gasped in pleasant surprise at the person smiling at him: One Alison Blaire, the Dazzler.

"Alison!"

"Hey!" She gave Longshot a big hug, making Jake roll his eyes. Alison grinned at him. "Nice to see you too again, Jake."

"Good to see you, Alison." Jake shook her hand.

"Nice to see you, Jake." The blonde lightengale smiled, shaking the offered hand. "Guys have any cool adventures since Dallas?"

"You'd be surprised." Jinx said. Unnoticed by the others, Kyle walked away to watch some TV. He wasn't feeling up to talking to the mutant singer and West Coast Misfit ally at the moment.

"Alison..." Jenni grinned, pointing upwards. Alison and Longshot noticed the mistletoe. Longshot blinked in confusion.

"I...don't understand." Longshot blinked in confusion, making Alison giggled.

"Silly. When two people are under the mistletoe, they kiss each other."

Longshot blinked. "So, if say, Paul and Jenni were."

"Exemption there, we're related." The two quickly said.

"Evidently, Longshot has some redneck in him." Kyle cracked, rolling his eyes.

"Hey, you're cracking jokes. You must be feeling better." Jinx noticed.

"Or maybe the Thunderbolt is finally going completely insane." Kyle muttered, glaring at Jinx.

"Ah, referring to yourself in the third person again. You have no idea how much I have missed that."

"You can go to hell too, HIVE-Girl." Kyle grumbled, crossing his arms petulantly.

"Ah, I see." Longshot nodded. He looked over at the smiling Alison. He felt his heart race, face heat up, and he could have sworn his legs suddenly felt like jelly. Her beauty seemed to overwhelm him. He gulped and stumbled to put out one word "...so..." The blonde lightengale smirked.

"Like this." Alison grabbed the extradimensional lifeform and gave him a kiss, making him blush, the girls giggle, and the boys snicker.

"Quite a kiss there, buddy!" Paul lightheartedly teased with a smile.

"Uhm...gubble guh..." A dazed Longshot mumbled.

"Judas tap-dancing Priest..." Jake almost imperceptibly muttered as he shook his head. Kyle snorted in amusement.

"You know, your lips taste like strawberries." Alison told him.

"And we really needed to know that." Craig shook his head. He then caught Kyle walking away. "Where you going?"

"Ah, I'm just going to watch a movie." Kyle said. " _Christmas Vacation_ is on. I love that movie."

"Don't you own it?"

"Yeah, but the TV edits are amusing to laugh at."

 _Heh. I know Kyle complains to no end about them editing that scene with the woman removing her swimsuit...Yeah, puberty is hitting him like the thing he likes to call himself._ Craig smirked.

"Come on, I want to show you guys some of the cookies I made for the upcoming party." Jenni said, leading the other West Coast Misfits into the kitchen...instead for one. Jake Wildfire watched the others walk in, talking amongst themselves. "Kyle helped me out. You know, I think he's got some real potential as a baker..." As the other West Coast Misfits talked to each other and sampled some of the treats, the Bostonian mutant known as the Red Dragon decided to join his little brother on the couch. The two then quietly watched the movie playing on the TV screen for the moment.

"So..." Jake looked over at Kyle.

"Yeah..." Kyle muttered.

"Looking forward to this? Hopefully, it'll go better than Thanksgiving."

"I doubt it." Kyle muttered. "I think Christmas is going to royally suck this year."

"Yeah...but what can you do?" Jake sighed. "That's life for you. Might as well just get through it and get it over with."

 _ **Happy belated Holidays!**_


End file.
